Vocal Voices

It were me and not Theresa May?

What would I do? May, it was reported the other day, coined the phrase "bottler Brown".

After a bit of thought, it if were it me I'd do this:

Trigger Article 50 before even setting a cabinet up
Dissolve government and call a snap election
Talk Doug Carswell into re-joining the Tory Party on the basis that he no longer needs to be in UKIP but needs to be in the Tory party to help control what is happening.

After all Corbyn is acting his initials rather than his position. Will she ever, in her entire political career, see the Labour party any more exposed. Will she ever see another opportunity to drive a wooden stake into the heart of the Labour party? They are in the middle of a leadership challenge and in no fit state to withstand a parliamentary election.

Is she an Iron Lady or a bottler May?

The next few days will tell.

What would I do?

New cabinet a priority. Sod the 'tradition' of moving people sideways, I would give the likes of Johnson, Gove and Osborne the big elbow. The new cabinet would have a fairly even split of Remainers and Brexiters, but it would be MY cabinet and not one of the media or political commentators.

A Ministry for Brexit would emerge and be headed by a leading Brexiter, but with a broad church of Brexiters, Remainers and neutrals in its make up. It would be set up in weeks not months and would be able to choose non-parliamentarians as negotiators.

Once up and running A50 would be invoked.

A snap election to take place as soon as is practicable. It would be done, partly to give me a mandate to be PM, and partly to shock Labour into getting its act together. I would do it in the belief that the country needs a strong opposition, but also in the knowledge that I would get a clear run for at least two more general elections.